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Announcements

THE WOODS FUND ELECTS A NEW BOARD MEMBER

The Woods Fund of Chicago is pleased to announce that Patrick M. Sheahan, executive director of public affairs for UBS, has joined its board of directors.

Sheahan led the capital campaign which raised $20 million to build Center on Halsted, the first LGBT community Center in the world to integrate recreational, cultural and social servies programming under one roof.

Before going to UBS in 2002, he worked in similar positions at the Chicago based Sara Lee Corp, and the Sara Lee Foundation. In the 1990s he served as a researcher and administrator for the Spencer Foundation, a $450 million private foundation that supports efforts to improve education nationwide.

Sheahan, 41, earned a PhD in Public Policy Analysis from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Master's in Policy Studies from the University of Kentucky in Lexington. He also served as a lecturer in nonprofit management at Northwestern University and the Spertus Institute for Jewish Studies.

He currently serves on the board fo the Goodman Theatre and is chairman emeritus of Center on Halsted. He is also a member of the Donors Forum of Chicago, Executives' Club of Chicago, The Conference Board, Council on Foundations, and The Independent Sector.

Woods Fund board President Laura Washington says, "We are thrilled to welcome Patrick Sheahan to the Woods Fund. Patrick is a 21st century civic leader who knows his way around Chicago's corridors of power. He brings a long track record in coalescing with the business, civic, government and nonprofit sectors to create lasting community change."

Rainbow Push Coalition Recognizes Ralph Martire

The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability is pleased to announce that Ralph Martire, Executive Director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability has received the Rainbow PUSH Coalition awarded the Champions of Freedom Award. Mr. Martire accepted the award at the 17th Annual PUSH Excel Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Breakfast on Monday, January 15, 2007, which marked the birthday and national holiday of the legendary civil rights leader. The Champions of Freedom Award is given to individuals who carry out Dr. King’s commitment to equal educational opportunities through their professional and personal activism. Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. presented the award to Mr. Martire in recognition of his work to solve Illinois’ inequitable and inadequate school funding system. Previous recipients of the Champions of Freedom Award include Senator John McCain, Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., Mrs. Johnnie Carr, Senator John Kerry and Coach Lexie Spurlock. Upon accepting the award, Martire said, “Martin Luther King, Jr. is the greatest civil rights leader our nation has known. Receiving an award identified with him is an honor beyond description.”

CTBA was conceived and “seeded” by the Woods Fund in September 1999 as a bipartisan fiscal policy think tank committed to ensuring sound and fair tax, budgeting, economic, spending and fiscal policies in Illinois.

The Woods Fund of Chicago Elects New Leaders

We are pleased to announce that the Board of Directors of the Woods Fund of Chicago has elected Laura S. Washington as its new Board Chair and Jesus (Chuy) Garcia as Vice-Chair of the board of the Woods Fund of Chicago.

Laura Washington has served on the seven-member Woods board since 2003. She is the first African American woman to chair the foundation’s board, succeeds William C. Ayers, who will continue to serve as a Woods director.

Laura is the Ida B. Wells-Barnett university professor at DePaul University in Chicago, a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, and a senior editor for In These Times. She specializes in media-related issues, African-American affairs, local and national politics, race and racism, and social justice. She is a member of the Chicago and national associations of black journalists and serves as board secretary of The Field Museum and president of the Neighborhood Writing Alliance. She also serves on the board of The Donors Forum of Chicago.

She brings more than two decades of diverse experience in print and broadcast journalism, urban affairs and social justice issues. From 1990 to 2001, Washington edited The Chicago Reporter, a nationally recognized investigative monthly specializing in racial issues and urban affairs. Newsweek magazine named Washington one of the nation’s “100 People to Watch” in the 21st Century. Newsweek said, “her style of investigative journalism has made (the Reporter) a powerful and award-winning voice.”

Jesus (Chuy) Garcia has served on the Woods board since 2003. He is the executive director of the Little Village Community Development Corporation a non-for-profit organization dedicated to achieving balanced development projects that are responsive to the needs of residents and businesses of Little Village.

Jesus Garcia is a native of Durango, Mexico, and has been a resident of Chicago’s Little Village community for 38 years. He has served as an elected public official for 13 years, as an alderman and state senator. He also served as the director of Little Village Neighborhood Housing Services. Garcia received a B.A. in political science, graduated from the Urban Developers Program and earned a masters in urban planning from the University of Illinois

Woods Fund Board Appoints Two New Members

Lee Bey is Director of Governmental Affairs for the Chicago office of Skidmore Owings & Merrill. He is also an expert in architecture and urbanism, having served as Deputy Chief of Staff for planning and design for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. Read More

Beth E. Richie is a sociologist and professor of African American Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She also holds appointments in the departments of Gender and Women’s Studies and Criminal Justice. Read More

Woods Fund Welcomes A New Program Director

Consuella Brown has been appointed Program Director at the Woods Fund of Chicago. Before joining the Woods Fund, she was a Program Officer at the Grand Victoria Foundation. Read More